The Genuine Article
by Jacquelina-Comm
Summary: Kahmunrah's mummy is transferred to the New York Museum of Natural History, and the inhabitants there find out that he is much less bloodthirsty than the Kahmunrah they met in the Smithsonian.
1. Taking Precautions

I do not own Night at the Museum, or any of its sequels.

* * *

When Larry Daley learned that they were getting a new mummy exhibit, to be located directly next door to Ahkmenrah's, he took the news in stride. After all, a new exhibit was nothing to worry about. It was if one of them was getting shipped out that he needed to jump into action. New exhibits were simple: you let them out (or search them out, if they aren't trapped in or on anything), explain the situation to them, and find some way to befriend them. Sometimes it took a bit of convincing to get the exhibit to believe that they were in a museum and not, as a purely random example, the French countryside, but they always came around in the end.

Finding out the mummy's identity is what threw him for a loop. For a minute he just stared at McPhee, who had been the one to give him the news, until the curator snapped his fingers impatiently in front of Larry's face. The night guard flinched out of his shock as McPhee rolled his eyes.

"Stop acting so shocked." McPhee said irritably. "It's just a mummy. It's not like I'm telling you to have a sleepover with a murderer."

Larry swallowed heavily. If only McPhee knew how wrong he was.

Throwing a few excuses in McPhee's general direction, Larry sprinted through the museum like a madman until he reached the new room that had been set up directly next to Ahkmenrah's tomb. Larry glanced at the name of the room as he paused to catch his breath:

The Tomb of Kahmunrah.

Larry hurried into the room, still staggering from his exhausting run. In many ways, the room looked similar to Ahkmenrah's: hieroglyphics covered the walls, several of the mummy's personal possessions were in glass displays set up against the walls, and there was a glass case in the center of the room for the sarcophagus. Larry shuddered at the frightening skull pattern that decorated the lid of the sarcophagus. A fitting image for Kahmunrah the Bloodthirsty.

One noticeable difference between Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah's tombs was that there were no giant jackal statues guarding the entrance of Kahmunrah's tomb. Larry couldn't help but be very glad for this, because if he had to deal with Kahmunrah, then the last thing he needed was the guy having a pair of giant bodyguards. It was bad enough having to deal with them when they belonged to a friend, he didn't want to have to deal with them when they belonged to an enemy.

Larry grimaced as he remembered what he and the majority of the exhibits here went through at the hands of Kahmunrah back at the Smithsonian. The crazy pharaoh had attempted to open a portal to the underworld and unleash an army of half-hawk, half-human soldiers upon the world. He had almost murdered Jedidiah by trapping the miniature in an hourglass, held the rest of the exhibits (except for Octavius) captive in a large packing crate, and tried to kill Larry several times. Larry had thought that he had gotten rid of Kahmunrah by kicking him into the Underworld, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"What does it take to kill you, huh?" Larry asked the sarcophagus. He waited a moment, half expecting Kahmunrah to sit up ahead of schedule and start giving a dramatic speech about how it would impossible to kill him and that he would take over the world. Nothing happened, of course, and Larry snorted at himself. "Well, you won't be making any trouble here, if I have anything to say about it." He told Kahmunrah's still-dead mummy matter-of-factly.

There was still at least half an hour until the exhibits came to life. Larry decided to take precautions. There wasn't a handy slab of stone to place across the top of the sarcophagus, the way the previous night guards had done to Ahkmenrah's, but Larry was still able to lock the sarcophagus and the gate to the tomb. That way, even if Kahmunrah managed to get out of the sarcophagus, he would still be prevented from leaving his tomb and attempting to take over the museum.

Satisfied that the threat was successfully neutralized, the night guard hurried off to prepare for the fast-approaching sun-down.


	2. Kahmunrah's Past

The roar of Rexy the undead dino alerted Larry to the activation of the Tablet, and soon the whole building was alive with movement as the exhibits came to life. Larry nodded politely as Teddy rode into view down in the lobby, and he could already see several miniatures venturing out of the Hall of Miniatures. Everyone was still docile after having just woken up, and some were even yawning and stretching. The late-night visitation hours had been canceled for a month of "cleaning" (a stipulation that the "anonymous benefactor" had included when he gave his donation to the museum), so everyone was taking the chance to relax.

From their care-free smiles, Larry got the feeling that they hadn't gotten the news about the Kahmunrah exhibit.

Larry was attempting to convince the Neaderthals that the Hall of Miniatures was not a good place to mess around, while also convincing the Romans that catapulting fireballs at the Neaderthals would only enhance the problem, when Ahkmenrah entered. The young pharaoh did not look happy, his handsome face set in a disapproving frown and his arms crossed aggressively across his mostly bare torso.

"Guardian of Brooklyn." The tone carried a warning evident enough that the Neanderthals and Romans both picked up on it and hurriedly left the room. This left Larry alone with the upset king.

"Hey Ahk." Larry said, trying to sound casual but internally backing away from the intense look that Ahkmenrah was giving him.

"I believed you to be better than the previous guardians, Larry." Ahkmenrah said, angry disappointment dripping from every word.

Larry froze, wracking his brain to try and figure out what the pharaoh was talking about. When Ahk had first entered, the night guard had chalked up his upset expression to the fact that Kahmunrah was here. After all, if Larry had had a brother like that, he'd be pretty upset to find out that that brother was moving in. But the anger seemed to be directed at Larry himself, not at Kahmunrah. Larry couldn't think of anything that he had done to deserve such ire, so he gave his mummy friend a confused look.

"You're gonna have to fill me in." He waved his hand in an attempt to convey his incomprehension. "'Cause if I did something to upset you, then I don't remember what it was."

Larry's words only seemed to make Ahkmenrah more hostile, if that were possible. The pharaoh's dark eyes narrowed and it looked like he was about ready to break his jaw from how hard he was grinding his teeth.

"You do not remember." Ahkmenrah echoed. "You do not remember. You do not remember locking the sarcophagus of my brother, so that he is currently reduced to screaming and battering the lid, just as I was before you freed me. You are willingly putting another through the same ordeal that your predecessors did. And you locked the door so that I cannot even go to my brother in his time of need." He looked close to tears now. "I did not think you capable of it."

Larry's widened. Out of all the reactions to seeing his brother locked up, anger was not one that he had expected to see. Didn't he know what that guy had put them through at the Smithsonian? "Hold on." Larry held up his hand to signal that he wanted to speak his piece. "Don't you know what that guy did? He tried to kill us all! He almost opened a gateway to the Underworld. He tried to murder Jed. I think I have every right to lock him in there, if it will keep the other exhibits safe." He placed his hands on his hips, a little annoyed now himself. It wasn't as if he had locked Kahmunrah away for grins and giggles. That man was a menace! If chaining Kahmunrah down in the basement would ensure the safety of his friends and the world, then he would gladly do so.

Ahkmenrah paused. "Yes, I have been told what happened in the Smithsonian." He said after a moment. "I also know that the Kahmunrah you met there was not my brother."

Larry blinked, not expecting that answer. "What?"

Ahk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "More than likely it was simply a mannequin of him. The fact that he simply froze was the sun rose can attest to that. If it had actually been Kahmunrah, then he would have returned to being a mummy at sunrise."

"I'm sorry." Larry held up his hand again, this time in a request for answers. "Why does it matter whether he was a mannequin or not? I mean, they're both the same guy, right?"

"No." Ahk shook his head. "That mannequin was no more my brother than Teddy is the real Theodore Roosevelt or Octavius is the real Gaius Octavius. Exhibits that were never alive to begin with do not reflect the actual thoughts and feelings of the people they represent. Rather, they reflect how history remembers them."

Larry frowned, still not comprehending.

"My brother was not a killer." Ahkmenrah continued, unfazed by Larry's slowness. "He was a formidable foe in battle, but he was remarkably good at holding his temper, considering how he was treated."

Larry tilted his head in invitation for Ahk to continue.

"Kahmunrah is ten years older than I am." Ahkmenrah said. "For those ten years, he was led to believe that he would be king upon the death of our father. But then I was born, and father named me the new heir. He was devastated. He believed that if he wasn't going to become king, then he was of no use to the family or the kingdom, and he just sort of... faded out, hunting dangerous animals as if he had a death wish, and keeping to the background in social situations."

"Wow." Larry mused. "That's a lot different from the Kahmunrah at the Smithsonian."

"He got better after Mother forced him to spend time with me." Ahkmenrah said. "He appointed himself my unofficial bodyguard, and rarely left me alone with anyone else. It was he who taught me how to fight; and he would take me along on his less dangerous hunting expeditions."

"So he didn't have a sibling rivalry problem?"

Ahk looked down. "That developed later. Father's favoritism towards me was understandable when I was a baby, but once I had grown old enough to be my own person, it began to grate at my brother. He stopped spending as much time with me, and began to spend time brooding in his room. It didn't help that Father never acknowledged anything that Kahmunrah did, and criticized his every flaw. He developed a temper, and often got into trouble for verbally abusing the servants or throwing something at them. Sometimes he would take out his frustrations on me, and we would get into arguments, which of course Father would always blame on Kah. I died before we could make up after the last one."

Larry realized that they had begun to walk while Ahkmenrah was telling his brother's story, and that they were almost to Kahmunrah's tomb. He stopped walking, not wanting to arrive just yet, and turned to Ahk.

"What if he changed after you died?" He asked. "What if he, like, went insane or something? How can you be so sure that the wax version of Kahmunrah wasn't the truth?"

Ahkmenrah looked at Larry, determination and sincerity smoldering in his eyes. "I know my brother, Guardian of Brooklyn. Now open the gate so that I might release my brother from his prison."


	3. Released

The first time Kahmunrah opened his eyes, he was met with absolute, complete darkness. When he tried to breathe in, he gagged as dust entered his mouth instead of air. Instinctively he panicked as he couldn't get a breath, and he attempted to sit up so that he could remove whatever was currently wrapped around his face and making it hard for him to draw in air. Instead, his head knocked against stone, and had grunted with pain.

What...? Kahmunrah only then realized how tight of a space he was in. It was like it had been made specifically for his body, with no expectation for wiggle room. It was like... like a sarcophagus. Oh, no. No, no, no, no! Why was he in a sarcophagus? He knew that he had died, he remembered it clearly, but why hadn't he moved on to the Afterlife? Kahmunrah's gasping, dust-filled breathes sped up as he began to panic, and he banged against the lid of the Sarcophagus in a bid for freedom. It refused to open, and he screamed aloud in dread at the idea of staying trapped in airless dark forever.

He just hoped that there was someone to hear him.

* * *

Outside, Larry had just finished opening the gate to Kahmunrah's tomb. Inside, Kahmunrah's sarcophagus shook with the revived mummy's attempts to get out, and the air rang with muffled screams. Despite his concern for his brother, Ahkmenrah had to admit, if this was how he looked when he was trapped inside his sarcophagus, then he could see why Larry and the previous night guards were scared to let him out. The effect was eerie at best and terrifying at worst. It certainly didn't inspire any confidence in the benevolent nature of the person inside.

Ahkmenrah watched as Larry unlocked the sarcophagus one-handed, the other hand resting on his flashlight in case he needed to defend himself. Ahk couldn't say he approved of this, but he would not begrudge the man a sense of self-preservation. As soon as the lid was unlocked, Larry dove aside as Kahmunrah literally threw it off hard enough to send it across the room. The older pharaoh sat up like a jack-in-the-box, wrapped head to toe in so many layers of wrappings that the shape of his body could not be seen. He began to tear madly at the linens covering his face, but this task was obviously hindered by the fact that it looked like he was wearing mittens made of linen wrappings.

"Brother, slow down, I'll help you." Ahkmenrah said, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. He had been similarly wrapped when he first woke up in a British museum. He had needed help to get them off as well, and had been careful to only put one layer of wrappings on to prevent a repeat of the incident.

Ignoring Larry's calls for him to be careful, the young pharaoh reached out to undo the bindings that prevented his brother from seeing or breathing properly.

* * *

Kahmunrah was out of the sarcophagus, but he still couldn't get the accursed linen off of his face. There was more linen wrapped around his hands, and it prevented the use of his fingers for grabbing or pulling. He made a noise of panicked frustration in the back of his throat, but stilled when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

A familiar-sounding voice, garbled by the wrappings spoke then. He wasn't able to catch all of it, but he did hear the words "I'll help you". He leaned towards the voice, giving whoever-they-were better access to the wrappings. At this point, it could be Ammut herself undoing those wrappings (unlikely as it was, considering she was a mix between crocodile, lion and hippopotamus) and he wouldn't care, as long as the wrappings came off.

* * *

Larry watched, one hand on his flashlight, as Ahkmenrah went about removing layer after layer of bandages from around Kahmunrah's head. He had very nearly whacked the older mummy when he had popped out his sarcophagus so suddenly, but refrained from doing so because it was obvious that he was harmless at the moment. As the night guard watched Ahkmenrah unwind layer upon layer of linen from around his brother's head, he couldn't help but wonder how Kahmunrah could breathe underneath all of that.

The answer to Larry's question came a second later, when Kahmunrah's face was finally revealed. The mummy leaned over the edge of his sarcophagus and literally vomited a small pile of sand and dust onto the floor. Larry looked away, feeling the kind of embarrassment that only comes from witnessing someone throw up. It felt like he awkwardly studied one of the hieroglyphics on the wall for hours before Kahmunrah finished clearing his lungs. Ahkmenrah, for his part, had stayed right next to his brother, making sure that the larger man didn't fall right out of the sarcophagus and soothingly running his fingers through Kahmunrah's hair, which Larry only now noticed was much shorter than the other Kahmunrah's had been.

The silence that followed Kahmunrah's hacking coughs made both Larry and Ahk tense, although the night guard suspected that it was for different reasons. Ahkmenrah helped Kahmunrah sit down in the sarcophagus again, and the brothers' eyes met properly for the first time that night. Larry's grip on his flashlight tightened, but the two just stared at each other. Finally, Kahmunrah opened his mouth and one word fell out:

"Ahkmenrah?"


	4. A Flashback Reunion

There was a moment of complete silence as Ahkmenrah simply beamed and nodded at his confused-looking brother. Larry had never seen the younger pharaoh look so happy before, not even when everyone had gotten together and thrown him a birthday party. He just hoped that Ahk's trust in his brother would not be shattered. Kahmunrah hadn't done anything even mildly malicious yet, but the man was still disoriented. It could very well be a mere matter of time before Kahmunrah showed the colors he had displayed at the Smithsonian.

One of Kahmunrah's hands raised, and Larry's hand tightened unconsciously on his flashlight, but all that happened was the older man touching Ahkmenrah's face. This seemed to dispel any thoughts Kahmunrah might have had about this being a dream, and he sat up straight, his eyes wide as he stared at his brother. A stream of Ancient Egyptian came out of the newly-freed pharaoh's lips, and Ahkmenrah answered automatically in the same language. Neither of the Egyptians seemed to recall that they were not alone.

Larry decided to remain quiet so as not to disturb the brotherly reunion.

* * *

Kahmunrah was having difficulty processing what he was seeing. This was not the Afterlife, and Ahkmenrah was dead, so how was his baby brother currently crouching in front of him, beaming away as if it were a beloved friend come back to life, instead of his bitter, grouchy older brother. Hesitantly, Kah raised one hand and brushed his fingertips across Ahk's cheek. Real. This was real.

"You're alive." He whispered in his native tongue. "You're alive." His other hand came up to cup Ahkmenrah's cheek, pulling him forward until their foreheads rested against each other. He was aware that tears were streaming down his face, but he didn't care. "I thought I would never see you again." He breathed hoarsely. "The throne wasn't worth that. I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."

* * *

_It was a beautiful night in Ancient Egypt. The air was warm without being muggy, and not even the mosquitos dared to break the tranquility as the stars twinkled overhead. Unfortunately, the idyllic setting was ignored by two people who stood atop the steps to the royal palace. Ahkmenrah was decked out in the finery of a pharaoh, although it was obvious that he was still getting used to the flowing robes. His brother, Kahmunrah, was pacing in front of him, dressed in the garb of an army general. It had already been a whole year since the death of Pharaoh Merenkahre and subsequent coronation of Ahkmenrah, and Kahmunrah still had yet to calm down. Merenkahre had completely ignored his oldest son, even on his deathbed, and Kah... well... he hadn't taken it well. _

_"Kahmunrah, please calm down." Ahkmenrah said tiredly. He had just come from the royal court, and even his amazing levels of patience were getting depleted. "You're going to put a rut in the palace floor." _

_"Oh, don't tell me to calm down." Kahmunrah growled at his brother. "He gave you everything, and I do mean everything. The throne, the Tablet, Nenet..." His agitation caused his lisp to thicken considerably, but he was too worked up to care. He scrubbed at his face with his fingers as if trying to rub off a mark, and went back to pacing. _

_Ahkmenrah rubbed at his own forehead at the mention of his wife. Nenet had been the only woman that Kah had ever felt attracted to, and he had not been happy when Father gave her to Ahkmenrah to wed instead. _

_"Just what do you want me to do, Kahmunrah?" Ahk asked irritably. "Hand over the throne and Tablet to you? Divorce Nenet so that you can marry her? Maybe you'd like me to get down on my hands and knees and clean your feet with my tongue while I'm at it." _

_Kahmunrah whirled on his brother. The fact that Ahkmenrah was now pharaoh, and thus Kahmunrah's superior, did in no way stop the two brothers from having their quarrels. If anything they came more often now, and with more heat now that Kahmunrah no longer had Merenkahre to aim his wrath at. _

_"Listen you little weasel." Kahmunrah ground out through clenched teeth, jabbing Ahk in the chest as he did so. "You have everything. I'm lucky that I didn't get thrown out on the street the moment you were born. I get to complain, you don't." _

_Ahkmenrah didn't even have to say anything. His unsympathetic expression was enough to make Kahmunrah's temper snap, and he shoved his smaller brother hard in the chest. As soon as his hands connected, though, he realized his mistake. They had been standing directly next to the long staircase leading up to the front of the palace, and as Ahkmenrah stumbled back, his foot found nothing but empty space and he tipped backwards. Kahmunrah reached out, wanting to grab his brother and pull him back to safety, but like Ahkmenrah's foot, all his hand found was empty space. _

_"NO!" Kahmunrah screamed as he helplessly watched his younger brother tumble head-over-heals down the unforgiving stone stairs. _

_As soon as his feet were working again he raced down the stairs so fast that he almost tripped and fell himself. Ahkmenrah's body was lying at the bottom, his neck at an odd angle and his large, dark brown eyes staring blankly ahead in death. _

_The wordless, animalistic howl that tore its way out of Kahmunrah's throat as he cradled his brother's lifeless body was what alerted the others to the fact that Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth king, was dead. _

* * *

At some point during the flashback, Kahmunrah had wrapped his arms around Ahkmenrah and buried his face in the younger man's chest. Ahkmenrah, for his part, hadn't said anything about it, simply running his fingers through his brother's hair and whispering various things that all amounted to "It's all right. I forgive you."

Larry was still over in the corner he had sequestered himself in when Kahmunrah had first thrown the lid off of his sarcophagus, and Ahkmenrah gave him a warning look. The look said not to tell anyone else about what was happening between the two emotional brothers. Larry, good man that he was, merely held up his hands in a "your secret's safe with me" gesture.


	5. Explanations and Secrets

It took a while before the two brothers finished hugging and crying, but when they finally released each other, a change seemed to come over Kahmunrah. His shoulders squared, and he began to unwind the wrappings from the rest of his body in a swift, businesslike manner. A disgruntled expression crossed his face when Ahkmenrah began to help him, but he didn't protest.

Larry watched this from his corner, until a loud crash from elsewhere in the museum reminded that there were more exhibits that required his attention. Kahmunrah still hadn't noticed him, so he nodded his head at the door to warn Ahkmenrah where he was going. He slipped quietly out of the door upon getting an acknowledging gesture from the younger pharaoh.

As he hurried away down the hall, he thought about what he had just seen. He knew for a fact that the Kahmunrah from the Smithsonian would never have broken down crying, especially not over the "favorite son". That show of emotion back in the tomb was enough for Larry to give him the benefit of the doubt. That wasn't to say he wouldn't kick Kahmunrah's sorry behind outside and let the dawn take him if he betrayed them, but for now he would go by the "innocent until proven guilty" line of thought.

Now if only he could be sure that everyone else would be so open-minded...

* * *

Movement caught the corner of Kahmunrah's eye and he instinctively reached for the khopesh that he was so famous for wielding. How dare a stranger enter the tomb of a pharaoh? He would lose his head for such disrespect... except that the khopesh was no longer strapped to Kahmunrah's waist, which made sense but was still enough to make the older pharaoh's nerves spike. An almost frantic look around located the weapon inside a glass case. It would be impossible to get at the moment, and he placed his hands against the glass in frustration. He felt naked without his weapon.

A gentle hand settled on Kahmunrah's shoulder, and he looked up into Ahkmenrah's face. The young man had not aged, and the familiarity of those big, brown eyes almost made him go into another flashback. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stood up and faced his brother.

"Perhaps an explanation?" He suggested. Now that he got a good look around, he realized that this was not, in fact, his actual tomb. It was almost empty, except for a few of his possessions locked away inside glass cases like his khopesh. If this were his real tomb, there would have treasures and everyday objects piled around for his use in the afterlife. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but this is not how I imagined the afterlife to be like."

Ahkmenrah smiled. "That's because this isn't the afterlife." He said.

"Thought as much. The Tablet?" He asked.

"The Tablet." Ahkmenrah affirmed.

Kahmunrah sighed and sat down on the floor with his back to the wall. He would be the first to admit that he had gotten a bit of a swelled head after he had become pharaoh, and would have refused to sit on the floor when he was alive, but there were things that Ahkmenrah needed to tell him. Sitting on the floor was the least of his problems.

* * *

It took a while to explain everything to Kahmunrah. Ahkmenrah was as thorough as possible in his story, even telling about what had happened at the Smithsonian (although that bit was very generalized, since he wasn't actually there and thus did not know all the details). Kahmunrah's expression had been somewhere between horrified and insulted when he learned about his double, for which Ahkmenrah could not blame him. If he had come back to find that everyone remembered him as an insane, idiotic villain, he would be rather put out as well. The only thing that Ahkmenrah had left out of the story was the fact that he had been stuck inside his sarcophagus for years and years. He didn't want Kahmunrah attempting to track down the previous night guards to exact revenge.

"Any questions?" The young pharaoh asked, when he had finished telling his tale.

"So, that man I saw earlier was this... Larry Daley?" He tripped slightly over the foreign-sounding name. He grimaced slightly when Ahk nodded. "Good thing I didn't have my khopesh then."

"Kah!" Ahk exclaimed. He was horrified that that thought had even passed through his brother's thoughts. It was fine if it was just hypothetical thinking, but he and Kah both knew that if the latter had actually had his weapon, then Larry might not be alive right then.

"I thought he was a tomb robber!" Kah retorted defensively. "How was I to know that he was a guardian?"

Ahk rolled his eyes, but let it go. His brother made a good point. Only priests and specially-chosen servants were allowed to enter a pharaoh's tomb. Anyone else would be put to death on the spot. He couldn't blame Kah for following laws that he had mistakenly believed to still be in place.

"Still, please don't kill him." Ahk told his brother. "He is a good man, and the first guardian to ever bring peace to the museum since the Tablet was first brought here."

Kah just made a "We'll see" gesture, which Ahk hoped was only a joke. The sigh that followed it was no joke though, and the younger pharaoh looked at his brother with concern as Kahmunrah rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

"So... everyone hates me now, I suppose?" Kah asked quietly.

Ahk grimaced in sympathy. "I wouldn't say hate..." He said reluctantly. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Attila, and possible Jedediah, try to kill you."

The laugh that came out of Kah sounded slightly hysterical. "Ah, just my luck." He mused.

Ahkmenrah's concern heightened. "Excuse me?"

Kahmunrah waved him away. "It's nothing, Little Brother. Maybe I'll tell you later."

Ahkmenrah frowned. He didn't like it when his brother kept secrets from him. The last time he had done so, it was because he had been injured while hunting and didn't want to see a doctor. If Kahmunrah was keeping secrets, then it was for detrimental reasons, and he would have none of it.

He had just opened his mouth to demand answers from his brother, when Larry came back into the room. Immediately, both pharaoh's scrambled to their feet. Ahkmenrah noticed that his brother's stance was defensive, as if he expected Larry to attack him, but he didn't get the chance to ask about it.

"It's almost dawn, guys." Larry said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder as if to point out the coming dawn.

Both pharaohs eyebrows rose, immediately bringing to the front what little family resemblance they had. Ahkmenrah nodded his thanks to the guardian for warning them of the time, before turning his brother to go back to the sarcophagus.

"Thank you Larry." He said. "I will make sure to get back before dawn."

Larry nodded back in satisfaction. "Just to let you know, I plan to introduce Kahmunrah as early as possible tomorrow." He said, his face apologetic. He could tell that both brothers would prefer to put it off as long as possible. "We only have a month of free time, so the sooner we do this, the more time we have to deal with the backlash before the museum opens late again."

"Of course. I understand." Ahkmenrah watched Larry leave the room, before turning back to his brother. He was slightly alarmed to see Kahmunrah with a confused expression on his face."

"Ahkmenrah, what language was Guardian Larry speaking?" Kahmunrah asked. "I cannot understand it."


	6. Give Him a Chance

Kahmunrah and Ahkmenrah stood together just out of view of the exhibits congregated in the lobby below. Disapproval had clearly crossed Larry's face when Kah had exited his tomb in the same outfit that the wax version had worn, even wearing a braided wig decorated with the same eagle-claw decorations. Using Ahkmenrah as a translator, the guard had tried to talk the older pharaoh into at least leaving the khopesh behind to avoid looking hostile, but all that did was cause the Egyptian to go off into a rant in his native tongue.

Ahkmenrah translated simply as "No. I refuse."

The language barrier was another sore spot for the night guard. After all, they only had one month to acclimate Kahmunrah to the museum before late-night hours started up again. If they couldn't get him fluent in English before then, then he would have to hide in either the storage rooms or his sarcophagus during visiting hours. But they would have to cross that bridge when they got to it. First they had to deal with the bridge they were currently at: introducing Kahmunrah to the rest of the museum.

"Okay, attention everyone!" Larry called out, instantly getting everyone's attention. He waited a few moments for all the noise to die down completely before continuing. "Thank you. So, as some of you might have guessed, we have a new addiction to the museum."

Everyone nodded or made intrigued noises. There had been a few additions to the museum since Larry got hired as night guard, so they were familiar with the drill.

"Now, I'm going to warn you right now, a some of you are not going to be happy about who it is." Larry continued. "All I ask is that you please not try and kill him. I guarantee that at least one or two of you will want to, but I ask that you please restrain yourselves. Remember that it will be my head on the line if he disappears from the museum, okay?"

It was a mark of how much the others trusted Larry that they all agreed, despite their confusion. Larry nodded his thanks to them all before ducking back into the hall in order to get the brothers.

"Okay, get ready for some fireworks." He murmured to both of the brothers.

* * *

Ahkmenrah braced himself for the displeasure of the other exhibits, but what almost bowled him over was the complete silence that came instead. No one said a word for at least five minutes, probably trying to figure out whether to be shocked, scared, angry or all three. Even those museum pieces that hadn't gone to the Smithsonian were able to identify the older pharaoh by the descriptions that others had given, and everyone was confused as to why Larry had allowed him into the building.

Kahmunrah probably wasn't helping. When threatened in a social situation where he couldn't simply attack the person, Kah had a tendency to go for the intimidation factor, crossing his arms and straightening his back so that his height and muscles were as prominent as they could be. He was also glowering, although not at anyone in particular (the crowd was too big to choose just one person), but off into the middle-distance instead. In short, he looked about ready to dismember anyone who came near him.

Of course it was Jedidiah who broke the silence. The little Cowboy never could keep his opinions to himself for very long, especially when he was angered.

"What in tarnation do you think you're doin', Gigantor?" Jed demanded. It always amazed Ahkmenrah how the tiny man could make himself heard over large distances, despite having such tiny lungs. "Why don't ya just let the devil himself waltz on into the museum? It would be better than lettin' that no good rattlesnake get his hands on the Tablet again!"

An uproar of agreement went up from the crowd, mainly from those that had taken part in the Battle of the Smithsonian.

Larry stepped forward and placed his hands on the balcony. "Okay Jed, you make a good point." He conceded. "I know that what happened at the Smithsonian was not fun for anyone. But I have on good authority," he pointed at Ahkmenrah to show who the "good authority" was, "that this Kahmunrah is very different from the one we met before. He says that the other Kahmunrah was a misrepresentation, a mistake. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I would appreciate it if the rest of you would do the same."

There was muttering and shuffling of appendages throughout the crowd, but no one spoke up. No one, not even Jed, had the gall to call Ahkmenrah a liar, especially not when he had Larry's support. That didn't mean that they looked happy, but they didn't want to pick a fight with their friend either.

"I would be willing to give him a chance, Lawrence." Bless Teddy Roosevelt. The wax president seated astride Texas, making him easily picked out from the crowd. Trust him to side with peace, rather than exasperate the still-present hostilities.

"Oh, thank you!" Larry said in relief, pointing at his mustachioed friend as a model for the others to follow. "Anyone else?" A few hands came up amidst the exhibits that had not taken part in the Smithsonian, Columbus among them. "Come on, don't be so hard on him." Larry continued to those who had kept their hands down. "This Kahmunrah doesn't even speak English. He can't be the same one as from the Smithsonian."

This new bit of information startled the crowd, and more hands began to go up. The only ones who kept their hands down were Jed, Octavius, Dexter and Attila. Larry didn't push them, knowing that they might need more time to get used to Kah (although both Larry and Ahkmenrah suspected that Dexter refused to raise his hand simply to cause trouble).

"Okay, good. Thank you." Larry told the crowd. "Thank you for listening. Enjoy the rest of your night."

Ahkmenrah caught Jed giving Kahmunrah the stink-eye before Octavius steered his cowboy friend towards the dioramas. He sighed, hoping that Jed would be able to get over the incident with hourglass and be friends with his brother, but he doubted that it would happen any time soon.

* * *

Kahmunrah, for his part, allowed himself to be lead from the room and back towards his tomb. Frankly, he had not expected anyone to give him a chance. Even when his brother was alive, the only person who ever gave him the benefit of the doubt was Mother, and she had died when Ahk was ten. Everything was his fault after her death. Ahk, bless him, tried to defend him on many occasions, but was only a child and would quickly back down under Father's disapproval.

Granted, Kah knew that Larry was only defending him because it would difficult for him to explain why the latest pharaoh exhibit had gone missing, but it still felt good to be defended. Perhaps things wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Ha! He snorted at his own optimistic thought. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad, and maybe he would walk unharmed in the sunlight. Not likely at all.


End file.
